Sampanthan, Sangaree meet Indian HC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 December 2001, 11:39 GMT]Senior Tamil National Alliance MPs Mr. R. Sampanthan and Mr. V. Anandasangaree Wednesday appealed to India to impress upon the new Sri Lankan government to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers. “The ban on the Liberation Tigers in Sri Lanka should be revoked first enabling them to participate in peace talks as the sole representative of Tamils and such talks should be held only with the LTTE with the international third party mediation”, a two MPs told the Indian High Commissioner Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi Wednesday morning during a discussion held in Colombo. “The TNAs manifesto been endorsed overwhelmingly by the Tamils of the northeast province at the general election held last week. Hence the new Sri Lankan government should fulfil the demands defined in our manifesto”, the MPs told the envoy. The Indian High Commissioner said he would convey the TNA’s position to his government.

The MPs told the Indian High Commissioner that the new United National Front government should first meet the TNA demands to create an environment that would be conducive to commence constructive peace talks with the LTTE.

The MPs pointed out that the economic embargo and other restraints imposed on the free movement of the Tamil people in their own territory should also be removed according to TNA manifesto.

They told the Indian HC that the TNA would like to meet India’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and its Home Minister to brief them about the Tamil national question in Sri Lanka.

The new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is scheduled to visit New Delhi this month to confer with the Indian Prime Minister about the Tamil national question.

The Indian High Commissioner told the MPs that he would convey their wish to his government.

The two TNA MPs then brought to the notice of the Indian HC about the indiscriminate shelling and bombarding of Tamil villages in northeast province by the State armed forces causing irreparable loss of lives and damages to properties of Tamils. “These military activities could create a confused situation at a time when a new government has assumed power,” the MPs told the Indian HC.